Hourly Wage Calculator
Enter your wage and hours below for the full pay breakdown, before tax.
Annual
$52,000.00
Weekly
$1,000.00
Biweekly
$2,000.00
Semi-monthly
$2,166.67
Monthly
$4,333.33
Daily
$200.00
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Frequently asked questions
What is my hourly wage worth per year?
Multiply your wage by your weekly hours, then by 52. Enter both above for your exact annual number, plus every other pay-period breakdown.
Does a raise change my hourly wage math?
Yes — re-enter your new rate above to see the updated breakdown. For how a raise compares to inflation over time, see the Salary Increase Calculator instead.
Worked examples
Two offers, one schedule
$21 an hour at 40 hours — the baseline any competing offer has to beat.
- Hourly
- $21.00
- Weekly
- $840
- Biweekly
- $1,680
- Annual
- $43,680
$21.00 an hour on a 40-hour week is $43,680 a year, or $1,680 every two weeks. Fixing the schedule first is what makes two wage offers genuinely comparable — once hours differ, the higher rate is no longer reliably the better job.
A higher rate on fewer hours
$26 an hour, but only 30 hours a week are available.
- Hourly
- $26.00
- Weekly
- $780
- Biweekly
- $1,560
- Annual
- $40,560
A rate almost a quarter higher, yet the part-time schedule brings the year to $40,560 — below what a lower rate delivers across a full week. Guaranteed hours are worth more than a headline rate whenever the total is what you are living on, which is why "what does it pay" is an incomplete question.
Gross monthly average pay, by hourly rate and weekly hours
Gross monthly average (annual pay ÷ 12) at a range of hourly rates and weekly schedules.
| Hourly rate | 25 hrs | 32 hrs | 40 hrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| $14.00 | $1,517 | $1,941 | $2,427 |
| $18.00 | $1,950 | $2,496 | $3,120 |
| $22.00 | $2,383 | $3,051 | $3,813 |
| $26.00 | $2,817 | $3,605 | $4,507 |
| $32.00 | $3,467 | $4,437 | $5,547 |
These are gross monthly averages. On a biweekly cycle two months a year contain a third paycheck, so most months land slightly below these figures.
What changes the answer
Guaranteed vs. offered hours
A rate attached to guaranteed hours is worth substantially more than the same rate attached to whatever the schedule happens to allow that week.
Shift differentials
Night, weekend, and holiday premiums can add 5-15% for the same work, and they also raise the regular rate that overtime is calculated from.
Unpaid break policy
Whether your meal break is paid decides if a nine-hour shift pays for eight hours or nine — roughly a 12% difference on that day.
Travel between sites
Time travelling between job sites during the workday is generally compensable, though the commute at either end of the day is not.
Key terms
- Annualization basis
- The hours-per-year figure used to turn an hourly rate into a yearly one. The US convention is 2,080 hours (40 hours × 52 weeks). It is a convention, not a law: it assumes you are paid for all 52 weeks, including any weeks you take off. If your time off is unpaid, your real annual pay is lower than the 2,080-hour figure.
- Biweekly vs. semi-monthly
- Biweekly pay arrives every two weeks — 26 paychecks a year — while semi-monthly pay arrives twice a month, usually on the 15th and the last day — 24 paychecks a year. They sound interchangeable and are not: the same salary produces a smaller biweekly check than a semi-monthly one, and biweekly gives you two months a year with three paychecks.
- Regular rate of pay
- The FLSA figure that overtime is calculated from. It is not always just your base hourly wage: non-discretionary bonuses, shift differentials, and commissions generally have to be folded in first, which raises the overtime rate. A calculator that uses only your base rate shows an overtime figure that is a floor, not the full amount.
More questions answered
Is a higher hourly rate always the better offer?
No. Annual pay is rate multiplied by hours, so a lower rate on a guaranteed full-time schedule frequently beats a higher rate on a partial one. Benefits shift it further: many employers set eligibility for health coverage and retirement matching at a weekly hours threshold, so a schedule that falls just under it can cost far more than the wage difference gains.
How do I compare an hourly job to a salaried one?
Convert the hourly role to an annual figure at its realistic schedule, then compare like with like. After that, adjust separately for the things the wage does not capture — whether overtime is paid, whether hours are guaranteed, and what benefits each role carries. Hourly work pays for every hour but stops when the work does; salaried work continues through slow periods but rarely pays extra for busy ones.
Model assumptions & disclosures
Gross pay only — not take-home pay. Every figure this converter shows is gross (pre-tax) pay. It never computes federal or state withholding, FICA, or any other deduction — your actual take-home pay will be lower, and by how much depends on your tax bracket, filing status, benefits elections, and state, none of which are modeled here.
A standard schedule, not your specific one. The default 40-hour week and 52-week year (2,080 hours/year) is the common full-time annualization basis — enter your own scheduled hours if yours differs. Paid time off, unpaid leave, and irregular schedules aren't modeled separately.
Overtime models FLSA weekly rules only. Hours over 40 in a week are shown at 1.5× the base rate. Daily-overtime rules that some states apply (for example, hours over 8 in a single day) are not modeled — check your state's specific rules if they may apply to you.
Not financial or legal advice. This calculator provides illustrative estimates based on the inputs you enter. Consult your employer's HR team, a tax professional, or your state labor office before making decisions based on these figures.
Cutting from 40 to 32 hours a week costs $10,400 a year at $25.00 an hour — the same terms above, now linked: Annualization basis, Biweekly vs. semi-monthly, and Regular rate of pay.